1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a suspender set for supporting a belt that is worn on a person""s lower body clothing, such as trousers. More particularly the invention pertains to a suspender which can be worn under a wearer""s shirt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art for suspenders is primarily the familiar devices that comprise elastic bands which pass over a persons shoulders and support the person""s trousers or skirt by attaching thereto with buttons or clamps. Suspenders are generally considered a replacement for a belt, though some people are known to xe2x80x9cwear both belt and suspendersxe2x80x9d. In this case, where belt and suspenders are worn together, they are employed independently, so that both the belt and suspenders do their function of holding up clothing just as they would if used alone. In all cases, over the shoulder suspenders are worn in plane view, outside of a shit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,479 to Lucier discloses a clip carrier for concealing a jaw type suspender clip for use with ordinary suspenders.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,738 to Seamans discloses a system for supporting a belt worn on a lower body garment by using multiple straps removably and adjustably attached by means of loop-hook fasteners to the inside lining of an upper body garment (such as a jacket or vest).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,735 to Perry discloses elastic strap suspenders which have a connector at the end of each strap in the shape of a hook for hooking onto the bottom of belt worn on trousers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,365 to Strandberg discloses a method of supporting trousers on a person using a plurality of connectors at spaced locations at the front and rear of the trousers and a belt extending over the person""s shoulders and back and around the circumference of the trousers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,831 to Jensen discloses a Peace Officers Uniform With Gear Support which is an integrated uniform including body armor which is worn under the officer""s shirt wherein a service belt worn outside of the officer""s pants, from which heavy equipment is hung, is supported in place by belts and fastening means worn on the body armor, on the inside of the shirt and inside of the pants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,839 to Utamaru discloses a suspenders which have hooks at the end of the suspender straps which engage with belt loops on trousers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,353,479, 5,488,738, 5,623,735, 6,006,365, 6,088,831, and 6,088,839 are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The prior art has generally recognized the need for a means of supporting a heavy belt by means such as a suspenders, and various suspenders are known to support a belt worn on trousers or other lower body garments.
However, there is often a need for a suspender set that can be used to support a belt and will also be usable in a situation where a user does not want the suspenders to be seen outside of the clothes. One example is a peace officer. A peace officer often carries substantial heavy equipment from the belt worn through loops on the trousers. The weight of the equipment makes the belt sag and impairs the officer""s movement. In principal, an officer could wear over the shoulder suspenders to hold up the belt. However, an officer is generally not allowed to wear suspenders because of uniform regulations.
Another example is a person who desires to wear belt and suspenders both but does not want to assume the negative characterization in society that goes along with someone who xe2x80x9cwears both belt and suspenders.
There is a need for an over the shoulder suspender set which can be worn with a belt and support the belt while the suspender straps are under the shirt.
There is a need for a method of supporting a belt with over the shoulder suspenders while hiding the suspenders below a wearer""s shirt.
It is an object of the invention to provide a suspender set that is capable of supporting a belt from an over the shoulder elastic strap while the strap is concealed under a user""s shirt.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for supporting a belt with elastic suspenders worn over the shoulders of a user while the suspenders are concealed under the user""s shirt.
The invention solves the problem of wearing suspenders to support a belt that is worn on a lower body garment such as trousers, shorts, or a skirt, in a situation where it is desired to conceal the suspenders from view. One situation where the problem occurs is a uniformed peace officers who wear belts from which heavy equipment is suspended. It would be helpful to use suspenders to hold up the peace officer""s belt, however peace officers are generally restricted from varying the standard uniform to include suspenders. The suspenders of the instant invention are capable of being worn under an officer""s shirt and out of sight. Another situation involves people who want to wear both belt and suspenders, without the societal stigma of wearing both belt and suspenders together.
One aspect of the invention is a suspender set comprising an elastic strap with two hangers attached to the elastic strap, with each hanger having a broad hook. The suspender set furtherer comprises two xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders. Each of the xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders has three parts a first part, a second part and a third part. The second part is flexibly attached to the first part and the third part is flexibly attached to the second part.
The first part comprises a ledge with size and shape to be engaged by one of the two broad hooks and the third part has a belt hook. The second part is attached to the first part at a first end of the second part and the third part is attached to the second part near a second end of the second part such that the second part can be flexed to create a first space between the first part and the second part and the third part is attached to the second part such that the third part can be flexed to create a second space between the third part and the second part.
Another aspect of the invention is use of a suspender set to hold up a belt worn on a lower body garment, such as trousers, shorts or a skirt. The suspender set is used to support a belt by the following three steps:
1. Placing the elastic band over a persons shoulders,
2. placing each of the two xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders on two opposite sides of the person such that the first part and second part of each xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holder are between the lower body garment and the person and the third part passes over the lower body garment and under the belt such that the belt is supported by the belt hook, and
3. placing the broad hook on each of the two hangers through the ledge on one of the two xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders, such that the belt is supported by the elastic strap.
An upper body garment, such as a shirt, may be placed over the suspenders and tucked into the first space, the space between the first part and the second part. When so worn the suspenders are hidden under the upper body garment except for the third part of the xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders which is behind the belt except for the belt hook.
A preferred embodiment the elastic strap comprises an elastic band that is doubled over with the ends of the band bonded together, so that when the strap is stretched out it has two sides. A doubled over type elastic strap is preferably deployed by completing the three step process above with the elastic strap doubled over to form a top portion and a bottom portion, and then placing a first arm between the top portion and the bottom portion in a first direction so as to push the top portion behind the person""s back, and then placing a second arm between the top portion and the bottom portion in a second direction so as to push the bottom portion behind the person""s back. Thus deployed the top portion and bottom portion will cross behind the person""s back and allow for conformable wear and good distribution of the load.
A still further aspect of the invention is a kit comprising an elastic strap, a plurality of hangers for use on the elastic strap, and a plurality of xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders.
A still further aspect of the invention are xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d shaped holders, alone, which can be used with ordinary suspenders.